Lenovo Black Friday 2021 sale in Australia: laptop deals have landed

(Image credit: Future)

Unlike smartphones, we don’t update our laptops every year, or even every couple of years. They’re expensive investments that we need for the foreseeable future, and with several of us in Australia working from home, it might’ve become apparent that your current laptop isn’t up to the task. Thankfully, Lenovo has discounted plenty of its laptops this Black Friday.

There’s arguably no better time to bag a bargain on a top-specced laptop than Black Friday, as that’s when you’ll find the deepest discounts across a wide selection, including some top-of-the-line Lenovo machines.

If your budget is tight, Lenovo also has some relatively affordable laptops, including a couple of Chromebooks, that get the job done, so there will be something for everyone. All you have to do is hold on for a few more weeks and do some research on what you want from your next Lenovo laptop.

Lenovo’s catalogue offers all the usual suspects – from the traditional clamshell laptops in the ThinkPad range if you need a work machine, to Legion gaming behemoths for when you’re at play. For anyone looking for something more versatile, there are 2-in-1s in Lenovo’s IdeaPad Yoga range of devices, while the Chromebooks offer budget options.

If you’re uncertain as to which deal suits you best, TechRadar’s Australian team will do the hard work for you, finding the top Lenovo deals and listing them right here.

The best Lenovo Black Friday deals for 2021

When does Lenovo’s Black Friday sale begin?

Black Friday 2021 falls on November 26 this year, with the aptly titled Cyber Monday following it up on November 29.

However, the days of Black Friday sales being strictly for just a weekend are long gone. These days, in Australia, offers begin to roll in a few days ahead of the Friday itself, although most do end at 11:59pm AEDT on Cyber Monday. Some retailers, though, keep the sale going for a little longer if stock is still available.

Lenovo doesn’t wait for Black Friday, though. The laptop maker has weekly sales on its Australian site, so be sure to keep an eye out on the pricing in the lead up to the big sale. Where typically these regular sales offer discounts of up to 45%, Black Friday is likely to do one better with up to 55% off on select machines. So if you aren’t in a rush to get an upgrade, our advice would be to hold on to your money until Friday, November 26, when all the best deals are doing to drop.

How to get the best Lenovo deals on Black Friday/Cyber Monday

With all the jargon surrounding a device like a laptop, plus with so many different models to choose from, finding a great deal can be rather overwhelming. If you aren’t sure of what you’re after, just remember what each range from Lenovo has to offer.

ThinkPads are mostly business laptops that compete against the Dell Vostro line. These machines can very often have some powerful components under the hood, giving you the opportunity to double them up as a gaming laptop as well, as long as you’re a casual gamer.

For more hardcore video games, though, you’ll need to look at the Legion machines which come with powerful discrete graphics options. However, the newer the GPU, the higher the price, but chances are you can score a decent bargain on a Legion laptop with Nvidia’s latest RTX graphics cards this November.

When it comes to getting an Ultrabook or a 2-in-1, look to Lenovo’s IdeaPad range, which also includes some Yoga notebooks. However, the Yoga range straddles both the ThinkPad and IdeaPad lines, offering something for everyone across a variety of price points.

In Australia, Lenovo offers only two Chromebooks – the 10-inch IdeaPad Duet 2-in-1 and the 11-inch IdeaPad Flex 3i. Both start at AU$499 and we’re hoping at least one is discounted this Black Friday.

If you want to make the process of choosing the best machine easier, read on and we’ll guide you through the decision-making process.

(Image credit: Future)

Know what you want before Black Friday

Draw up a list of what you want from your laptop before the Black Friday sales begin, and take note of any Lenovo machine that has caught your eye. This means your deal-hunting can be narrowed down and more successful, not to mention quicker.

This will also help to stop you blowing cash on impulse buys which you may regret later, especially if a deal for something you actually do want crops up on a later date, and you’ve already blown your budget.

Size it up

If you’ve decided on a Lenovo device, the first thing you need to do is consider the size of the machine you want. Lenovo’s laptops come with a 13-inch, 14-inch, 15-inch, 16-inch or 17-inch screen.

Smaller notebooks are not only more portable, but are often cheaper as well. Larger devices, on the other hand, offer more screen real estate and, with the increase in space under the hood, you’re likely to find more powerful components alongside a bigger battery.

Then there’s the weight consideration. If you need to carry your laptop around for work a lot, you’ll want to opt for a lightweight, compact notebook that ideally weighs less than 1.5kg.

If it’s a desktop PC you’re after, consider the space you can spare in the room you’re planning to house it in. You can get 24-inch and 27-inch all-in-ones, saving you the need to get a separate PC tower.

(Image credit: Future)

Check the spec sheet

Take a long look at the configuration of the Lenovo machine you covet before you buy, as that can provide a clear idea of whether the deal is worth considering. If the specifications point to an old or low-power device, then the deal may not be as decent as you first thought.

On the other hand, if the specifications point towards a strong laptop that comes with features you’ll seldom – if ever – use, then you may be better off saving your cash and searching elsewhere.

As far as performance is concerned, it’s important to consider the core parts of the machine – the processor (CPU), system memory, storage and, specifically for gaming laptops, the graphics processor (GPU).

When it comes to the main processor, you’ll commonly find an Intel Core i5 or i7 CPU within the chassis or AMD’s Ryzen processors. The latest Intel processors are currently in their 11th generation, while AMD’s is the series 5000. Both are denoted with the generational number in front of the model, for example, AMD Ryzen 7 5800H or Intel Core i5-11400H.

While opting for the latest CPU gets you a seriously powerful machine, the previous generation is also a good purchase if you get a deep discount.

Store that memory

The next piece to mull over is system memory, or RAM. These days most machines come with a minimum of 8GB of RAM, which is far better than the 4GB we used to get as an entry point. That’s actually plenty of system memory to handle some amount gaming and video editing, with Windows 10 running pretty smoothly on these devices. 8GB RAM will also handle Windows 11 easily enough.

If you’re planning on getting a machine that needs some serious grunt under the hood, you’re likely looking at a device that comes with 16GB of memory.

For your storage needs, you’re best off with a solid state drive (SSD). These offer more reliable performance and you’ll find that apps and programs will load very quickly. You’ll typically find 256GB or 512GB of solid-state storage available on most machines, while a 1TB SSD can also be on offer, albeit on a pricier model.

Traditional hard drives (which you’ll often find referred to as an HDD or hard disk drive) are a slower medium of storage. Their strength lies in the fact that they usually have far bigger capacity for the price – you can find storage of up to 2TB even in budget hardware.

Graphics and display

Many laptops have integrated graphics, meaning the GPU is built into the CPU and you’ll usually find that visual performance is pretty limited as a result. Integrated graphics – referred to as Intel HD Graphics, or Intel Iris, when it comes to Intel processors – is more for the casual gamer, but nothing more than that. For anyone who wants to play more heavy-duty games, you’ll need a discrete GPU – a graphics solution that sits separate from the processor.

For example, the GeForce MX150 is Nvidia’s current (Pascal-based) entry-level mobile GPU, but you may find you need to fork out for something a little more powerful than that, such as the GeForce GTX 1060. If you’re a hardcore gamer, though, you will want to look for something with the RTX series GPUs. However, it’s worth noting that prices can soar quickly when it comes to powerful GPUs.

As far as screens are concerned, most mid-range laptops will offer a Full HD display as standard, which is a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. If you’re after a higher resolution display (4K), you’ll need to be prepared to rethink your budget.

Although a 4K screen looks and sounds like a great idea, it’ll take a serious toll on your machine’s core components and sometimes it’s worth sacrificing a bit of image quality for a smoother frame rate. 4K displays will also drain your laptop battery faster and, given this is an area where gaming laptops already struggle, you may want to consider what you’re losing to gain 4K.

Keep the receipts

Make sure you keep hold of your receipts in case you’re not happy with any of your purchases and want a refund – it’s also worth checking the refund policy of websites before buying on Black Friday.

Some retailers may offer longer warranties than others, which could be a deciding factor when buying a laptop on Black Friday. Most PC manufacturers offer a two-year warranty, but under Australian consumer law, you’ll typically be covered for three years.

Stick with TechRadar to get the best Black Friday deals

Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales can get rather overwhelming. With several Lenovo products going on sale at the same time, we understand that it can also be time-consuming if you’re trying to locate a specific model.

That’s why you should visit TechRadar to ensure you get the best Lenovo Black Friday deals this year. We’ll keep an eye on the retailer’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, and highlight the very best savings on the best machines.

• Here’s everything you need to know about Black Friday 2021 in Australia

Source: Techradar